SERKET Racing Places Focus on Veteran Education

WELLINGTON, FL--(Marketwired - August 28, 2014) - SERKET Racing is proud to announce a new set of education initiatives created for military veterans and their families.

The ventures include a scholarship program for military family members with the American Freedom Foundation and Kaplan University, a partnership that creates a nursing scholarship at Florida State University and the continuation of a scholarship program for the children of veterans with Fisher House Foundation.

SERKET Racing, which races in the IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama, has initiated multiple campaigns with the same mission -- ensuring our nation's bravest and their families are provided opportunities to receive the education needed to pursue their goals.

"Being a veteran myself, I have experienced first-hand the challenges these men and women face when they return home," SERKET Racing owner-driver Mark Llano said. "Education is a great way to empower our veterans to meet the obstacles their sacrifice has put before them: higher unemployment, lower wages and the need for mobile career skills. SERKET Racing's goal is to provide as many educational opportunities for our veterans and their families as possible so that they can enjoy the freedoms they have fought for so long to protect."

SERKET Racing has joined forces with the American Freedom Foundation and Kaplan University to promote the Military Family Scholarship program. The program will award up to 250 scholarships to military family members, each covering more than half the cost of an undergraduate degree at Kaplan University, an institution of higher learning dedicated to providing innovative undergraduate, graduate and continuing professional education.

"Our motto is 'Warriors Live by a Code;' the military family also lives by an unspoken code, putting our country's needs before their own," said Llano, a former Marine. "We are very excited to join forces with the 12th SMA and founder of the American Freedom Foundation, Jack Tilley, and Kaplan University to promote this program."

Applications will be accepted from spouses or dependent children of active-duty, National Guard or Reserve service members, and veterans, who have maintained a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 basis in previous college or high school studies.

For every 50 scholarships awarded, one recipient who completes his or her first term at Kaplan University with a 3.75 cumulative GPA will be selected to receive a full scholarship covering 100 percent of tuition and fees to complete their program of study.

Scholarship applications will be accepted until 250 awards have been granted, or until Nov. 21, 2014 -- whichever arrives first.

SERKET Racing also has formed a partnership with the WECANDO Foundation to create the SERKET Racing College of Nursing Veteran Scholarship at Florida State University (FSU).

Over the next two years, WECANDO -- through a partnership with SERKET Racing -- will donate a total of $50,000 to FSU to help veterans and current and future military servicemen and women through nursing school. The scholarship will provide needed support to nursing students who were in the military, are serving or who will serve after graduation.

"The FSU College of Nursing is delighted to have been selected by SERKET Racing and the WECANDO Foundation as a beneficiary of their veteran education initiatives," said Judith McFedtridge-Durdle, dean of the FSU College of Nursing. "The SERKET Racing College of Nursing Veteran Scholarship
will enable the College to provide financial support for veterans and military service members interested in pursuing the bachelor of science in nursing degree. Our veterans and service members put their dreams on hold to serve our country; this scholarship will assist veterans and service members as they pursue their dream of making a difference as a registered nurse."

"It really was like divine intervention," Llano said. "The way we came together, it just aligned perfectly. Dan Weyland and I are both cut from the same cloth. We both compete in the Porsche GT3 Cup series, and we are both veterans helping veterans. In this case, we get to do it together."

FSU was the perfect fit for the scholarship based on Llano's ongoing involvement with the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) program at the university, located in Tallahassee, Florida.

The EBV offers cutting-edge, first-hand training in entrepreneurship and small business management to post-9/11 soldiers, sailors, aviators and Marines with disabilities resulting from their service to our country. The school is creating one of the largest campuses specifically for military and veterans in the country. SERKET Racing has donated financially to the program, and Llano continues to be a dedicated resource for EBV participants.

"We have been working with the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities quite some time now," Llano said. "The work the EBV does, teaching our veterans about entrepreneurship and helping them achieve the American dream, is beyond inspiring."

Finally, SERKET Racing is continuing its partnership with Fisher House Foundation to aid in providing scholarship funds to the sons and daughters of active duty, Reserve/Guard or retired military veterans through the Scholarships for Military Children Program.

"Mark Llano and his team have been supporting veterans, active-duty service members and their families since starting SERKET Racing in 2012," said David Coker, Fisher House Foundation president. "Fisher House Foundation is honored to be one of their beneficiaries and grateful for their service. It is support like this that enables us to do what we do, and that's serving military families."

The Scholarships for Military Children Program was created in recognition of the contributions of military families to the readiness of the fighting force and to celebrate the role of the commissary in the military family community. To qualify for the program, the scholarship recipient must be enrolled or planning to enroll full-time in a four-year undergraduate college or university, accredited in the U.S. They also must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.

"It's been said that children are our future," Llano said. "At SERKET Racing, we believe there is no better way to ensure our country's continued growth and success than investing in that future and working with the great team at Fisher House to do just that."

The Fisher House program provides a "home away from home" for families of patients receiving medical care at major military and VA medical centers. The homes provide temporary free lodging so families can be close to their loved ones during a medical crisis.

SERKET Racing (serketracing.com) is an organization based in Wellington, Florida, that races a 2012 Porsche GT3 Cup car in conjunction with NGT Motorsport (ngtmotorsport.com). SERKET Racing currently competes in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama -- the largest single-make racing series in North America. Started by former Marine Mark Llano and Randy Webb, the SERKET Racing team competes with the goal of raising awareness and assistance for those who have honorably served and sacrificed for our country: military veterans and their families. Veteran owned and operated, SERKET Racing is aware of the obstacles that veterans face upon their return home and teams with numerous local, state and national charities to develop and implement innovative programs to assist these veterans and their families in their time of need.

Philanthropic Partners: SERKET Racing has partnered with multiple organizations in order to provide assistance and raise awareness for the problems our veterans are facing including health, housing, education and employment. For more information on each of our partners visit www.serketracing.com/mission/the-mission.